The Italian-born bishop, who now has police protection, has complained that telephone death threats against him increased after President Sarney announced the evacuation policy last month.

The bishop has complained about commercialised money-making projects in the past.

Though some bishops have complained that power has become too centralized under John Paul, the Roman Catholic Church is not run like a multinational corporation.

The Archbishop's aides say the pact broke down because liberal bishops complained to the Vatican that it made too many concessions.

Joseph Zwilling, director of communications for the archdiocese, said that "to my knowledge" no bishops had complained to Cardinal O'Connor.

The bishops might well complain: why did they not do anything?

Throughout the 18th century, philosophers like Voltaire as well as some bishops complained that lotteries exploit the poor.

Their position was endorsed by the Maronite Catholic Church, whose bishops complained in a statement this week that the Christians were being treated like a vanquished people.

When some American bishops complained to the pope in 1922 about the National Catholic Welfare Council, the original approbation for the council was revoked.

For years, bishops complained to the Vatican about confusion over how to handle sexual abuse cases.